Mike Yeo
Mike Yeo (born on July 31, 1973 in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada) is a Canadian ice hockey coach and former player who is currently the associate coach for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL) and will assume the head coach position beginning in the 2017-2018 season. From 2011 to 2016, he was the head coach of the Minnesota Wild. Playing & Coaching Career Mike spent five seasons with the Houston Aeros while they were members of the International Hockey League (IHL). From 1998–1999, he captained the team to the Turner Cup Championship. In 1999, he was signed as a minor league veteran by the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the top affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins at the onset of their inaugural season, in what would eventually become the first of eleven years of service with the Pittsburgh Penguins organization. After a serious knee injury ended his playing career after just 19 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Mike accepted an offer to remain with the team by becoming an assistant to head coach Glenn Patrick, a position he continued to hold when Michel Therrien replaced Patrick in 2003. He was promoted along with Therrien in 2005 to the Pittsburgh Penguins as Therrien's assistant after the firing of Eddie Olczyk and his coaching staff. With his primary responsibilities focused towards special teams, Mike aided Therrien in laying the groundwork for the Penguins rebuild towards future successes, ending the franchise's six-year playoff absence in the 2006–07 season and leading the Penguins to their second-highest points total in franchise history in 2007–08. Continuing to work as an assistant under Therrien's successor, Dan Bylsma, Mike began to have health issues with his blood pressure and in one game "felt lightheaded and dizzy and had chest pain... his blood pressure was really high" although he persevered and helped the team to a Stanley Cup victory in 2009. On June 16, 2010, Mike left the Penguins to take up the vacant head coach position at the Houston Aeros of the American Hockey League, at that time the top AHL affiliate of the Minnesota Wild, replacing Kevin Constantine. The season prior to Mike's hiring, the Aeros finished in last place in the West Division with low expectations. However, the Aeros added several offensive players such as Robbie Earl, Patrick O'Sullivan and Jed Ortmeyer. Under Mike, the revitalized roster improved massively, reaching the AHL conference championships in Yeo's first year behind the bench. On June 17, 2011, Mike was announced as the head coach of the Minnesota Wild on June 17, 2011. The Wild under Mike won their first game 4–2 at home against the Columbus Blue Jackets. They started the season 15–7–3, but failed to secure a winning record through each of the final five months of the season. The 2011–12 season marked a down-year for Mike as his team ranked last in number of goals scored in the NHL with a meagre 177 compared to the NHL average of 240. The team also did not make the playoffs, came third last in power play percentage, and were known for streaky play. The Wild tended to lose games in streaks, losing 32 out of 36 games in groups of two or more games. The team lost eight straight in December and seven straight in February effectively removing the Wild from playoff contention. During the 2012–2013 season, Mike accused the San Jose Sharks players of embellishing penalties, and had to call Todd McLellan to apologize. Early in the 2013–2014 season, there were rumours that Mike would lose his job, but in the second half of the season, the Wild were able to make the playoffs for the second straight year. The Wild defeated the heavily favored Colorado Avalanche in seven games before losing to the Chicago Blackhawks in the second round. On May 31, 2014, Mike was given a three-year contract extension with the Minnesota Wild. During the 2014–2015 season, there were again rumours that Mike would lose his job, but a mid-season trade for goaltender Devan Dubnyk saved not only his job, but also the team's season. The team had a record of 18–19–5 prior to the trade and finished the season with a record of 46–28–8. The Wild qualified for the playoffs with a win at Chicago on April 7, 2015. They were then eliminated by Chicago in the playoffs for the third consecutive season, losing in 4 games, scoring only 7 goals the entire series. With the hirings of Jeff Blashill by Detroit and John Hynes by New Jersey during the summer of 2015, Mike was no longer the youngest head coach in the NHL, a title he had held for his first four seasons. On February 13, 2016, he was fired as head coach of the Minnesota Wild after losing 13 of his last 14 games as head coach. On June 13, 2016, Mike was named as the eventual successor to Ken Hitchcock as coach of the St. Louis Blues. He will serve as assistant coach during the 2016-2017 season and assume the head coach position beginning in the 2017-2018 season. Career Statistics NHL Coaching Record Statistics updated as of 2/14/16 †''Lockout shortened season'' Personal Life Mike has two children with his wife Tanya: a daughter named Braeden, and a son named Kyler. He attended Widdifield Secondary School. Category:1973 births Category:NHL coaches Category:Canadian ice hockey coaches Category:Minnesota Wild players Category:NHL assistant coaches